Combustion-engine.



G. FORNACA.

COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION PILED AUG. 12, 1911.

` Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

e, e N N N\ N @NN Y MN G. FORNAGA.

COMBUSTION ENGINE` APPLIUATION FILED AUG.12, 1911.

1,073,671. Patented sept.23,1913.

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1,073,671, Specicntomof Letters Patent.

.applicationriledluanat 1?;19111.:V Serial Nonllel To allwhom it mai/ concern? Turin,l in the Province.. of Piedmont,l Italy, 5 have inventedcertain new and'luseful linprovements in Conibusti'on- Engines, o'f which the following is. aflill, clda1', ,and exact specification;

This invention relates to improvements in` combustion, engines, andhas particular ret'- erence to the Velimination (1f-"puppet 'valves in. favor of 'a single rotaryvalve, which' al -l ternately controls the inlet,andiexhzmst'in redeterrnined succession, whileforminp; inv itself alwaysaportion ol theiinterior of 'the cylinder. i B'y providing., a hbllow rotary valve which' shall? atall "times be in corn.- munication with. the interior of the 'cylihr der,'wl1ile itselfcontrolling in proper succession the adrnission'and exhaustive gases;- the vali/cgis keptat a more even' temperature, and is less subject to hecorne jammed, than Where the valve is exteri'orofthe combustionspa-ce of the cylihden Furthermomi,` when the'valve is, so tosspeal, within the cylinder, the pressures actiriff' againstrfthe valvotend,naturallfy to inakir it fitf tightlyl in its seat which:ism'hlrther advantage.

The invention' will be lmore 'fully` under-` thsnccompanying drawings', in Which-+- Fig'urei. l 'is aflongitudihal section of va portion of fa .four-cylinder vengine showing` the invention; Filgr "is a transverse section; Fig. 3"is' a-transverrisection on' a large scale; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on a` large scale; Fig., 5 is a development 'oilthc rotary valve, showing,r the disposition-and relation of ports, and Fig. (l is a longitudi nal'sectiou' of a lportion of *the `engine showing slight` 'modifications- The engine'hs the saine general forni as an ordinary engine., as to pistons,cylinders, crank slia'ft, eter, batthe compression'space above the piston so far. as toi-med hy the cyl-indelheadV is madev considerably smaller than is at present the practice with engines using puppet valves, and Aahove this com4 pression space yis foi-ined additional com pression space consistingof the interior ol the rotary valve, which is at. yall tirnes in communication with "the cylinder. The c vl inderhead is additionally provided with inlet 'and exhaust passages disposed at a pre 55 determined distance apart so that they can bewpened in suceesaion'hy the rotationo't steod'ili connection 'witlnthe 'description ot the valve.t The' inlet'passage may he 1nanifolded wherever'necessary for multiple cyl#` laders, and Ethe exhaust will he'stiitfthly ar- 4ange'd `accm'ding'to present practice, these 60 features notfheingr'parts ol this invention, and not claimed herein.

The compression chinnhhr comprises thev space within a somewhat-fhcuiispherical head l, together with a` cylindrical"chamber 2, whichis `always in -coxnuiunicalion with the head spacetthrongh-ports Ain tlicrotary valve, and the'cubic capacity of these spaces is about one-third "or one-fourth. that. of I thel 'Worinl ing cylinder,4 as in' ordinary practice. In'a 70 uniltiplef cylinder engine wherein the cylin defrs are cast integrally, 4orin groups, -tlie 'upper cylindrical compression lspaces -niay all he :formed at thesainc time, to receive the valve which will 'hewsuitahly dividedto4 75 independently control each cylinder.

GornrnunicatingA with the chamber-2' of` each 'cylinder is an .inlet passage `3`on one side and `.an exhaust passage 11: on the other, these passages as herein shown heingr cast 30 integrally with the cylinders.y water jacket and `the cylinder heads. ',l`he inlet pipes fl openilltothe cylindrical chambers :2 through inlc't ports 5,' the exhaust passages el through exhaust ports (i, these ports preferably heilig- 55 of'frectangular shape-and oi' an area determined ac'cording' t0' thedesigned lspeed Aoi." the engine.` 4

Inside the chamber Q'is arranged the rotary 'cyliudri ral valve 7, which consists of 'a 90 tuhe having its walls tliinin rela'fionto-the dialn'cter, closedi at eaehend, and 'mounted on a central (hiring shaft 8 'which maybe operated from the crank shaft'livl'neans of the secondary'shaft El and gears-'10,'Which 95 run, in the case of a four-cycle' engine as herein shown at one-halt the speed of the crank shaft. '.lhc shall' ll, as shnvnin Fig. ljis journaled in supports 11,12. '13 and lfl, which are .suitably fastened to the walls' of 100 `ihe casting' .so as to lui-adjustable and 1'cr niovahle when necessary. It will he seen that while there is one valve for all of the cylinders, il is divided into compartments according' lo the number ol cylinders.

The valve T. which is shown developed in Fig. 5, is provided with three ports, 1,5 being the main central port. and having;r sulistanlially the .saine area'asthe inlet and exhaust ports 5 and G.

10 and li' are auxiliary ports which are outside ot the main port i5 of the valve, and

the inlet and exhaust ports and 6 o f'the cylinder, and the function of these auxiliary ports 16 and 17 lis tomaintain commun1cation between the cylinder and the interior ofl the valve when the main port is closed. against one of* the walls of the cylinder.

space 2, orwhen it is desired to admit or l* l t tary valve with 'the ports described, 1t will exhaust gas through the ports 5, 6, respectively.` In order to maintain ample communication between the auxiliary compression space 2 and the cylinder space 1, these ports 16 and 17 have a total area greater than that of the-main port 1.5. rlhus the admission and exhaust of gasesis unrestricted, and quick combustion and application of the explosiveforce of the gases to the Vpistonis not interfered with.' n n During the inlet period, the main port 15 I of the valve registerswith the inlet port 5 of the cylinder, and the charge is drawn Kin through these openings and the openings 16 and 17 into the cylinder, so that a full charge is drawn into the cylinder during one down stroke of lthe working piston. 'During this down stroke, the valve 7 is rotating in a counter clock-wise direction, and the valve is gradually covering the port 5, which' is completelyclosed at about the end of the.

During this time the exhaust open- The comstroke. ing is covered by the valve 7.

pression period lasts during the up stroke of the working piston, and the main port 15 of the valve moves in the same direction as before until its central line is exactly over the center of the cylinder, and the secondary lateral ports 16 and 17 are covered by the upward walls of the space 2. From Figs. 3

and 4, which show the positions of the parts at the end of the compression period, it will be seen that free communication exists between the two spaces 1 and 2, save as to the i two lateral edges of the vvalve port 15, which .descending7 the port 15 travels upward from its lowest. position and becomes covered by the cylinder wall, but the ports 16 and 17 at the same time become uncovered, so that atceaeh instant, the sum of the three sectional areas ailords constant passage area between the spaces 1 and 2. When the piston again moves upward for the exhaust,the port 15 uncovers the exhaust port 6 progressively, but atthis ltime it will be seen that the twolportions 1 and 2 of the compression space remain in communication through ports 16 and 17, which are fully open. 15st.

the end of the exhaust period port 15 1s closed against the upper wall of the cylinder between the ports 5 and'6, While the ports 16 and 17 are open below..

ABy reason of the combination of therobe seen thatthe engine works inV a normal manner, with always ample port area for ,the gases, and by suitably determining the dimensions of the valve ports and the cylinder ports, any desired governing can be ob.- tained, with .suitable advance and retardation for the seral'str'okes, according to the speed and characteristics desired. Since the main port 15 of the valve operates insuccession for the passage of the exhaust gas4 and the` inlet of the charge, `and since the secondary ports 16 and 17 and the internal 85 ,walls of the valve are brought successively.

in Contact with these gases, the valve is kept at a mean temperature low enough to'prevent deterioration of the valve body. Also, the lubrication of this .structure is :very simple. f

In Fig. 6 is-shown a modification wherein the valve consists of a tubedivided by Walls 'into sections corresponding to the number of cylinders, the shaft 8 and intermediate supports being dispensed with, and the outer surface of the tube acting as a support. Also in the drawings is shown between the cylinder and the vvalve a second tube or bush-` ing, which is provided with the samev ports 190 for suction and exhaust, and-Which while not an essential element of the invention is useful for eonstructional reasons, this permitting the suction and exhaust ports 'to be con-V trolled with better and rgreater precision 105 from the outside, and also `permitting its construction of' special material having. a

coeiiicient of expansion so as to prevent jam- .Y

ming.

Various modifications maybe made in the 110 inlet and exhaust passages opening into said 12o valve chamber, a passage from said valve chamber to the interior4 of the cylinder, and a cylindrical rotary valve mounted in said i valve chamber havingl a port for opening -said inlet and exhaust to the valve interior v125 and 'the valve interior to thev cylinder at predetermined times, and another port opening the vinteriorof the valve tothe cylinder at predetermined times such that the interior of the `valve is always in communication 13o with the cylinder through one or tne other orf said ports.

2. The combination in a combustion engine, with a cylinder and a piston, of a transversely extending cylindrical valve chamber formed in the cylinder head, separate inlet and exhaust passages leading to permitting communication between -the valve.

interior and the cylinder through one or the other.

3. In a combustion engine, a transversely extending cylindrical valve casing, circumferentially separated inlet and exhaust passages connected therewith, a transversely extending hollow cylindrical valve mounted in said chamber' having a main port for controlling said passages in succession with an intervening period of closing both passages, and an auxiliary port in said valve at one side of'and opposite said main port for opening the interior of the valve to the engine cylinder when communication through the main port between the cylinder and valve interior is cut oil".

4. In a multi le cylinder combustion engine, the combination with a plurality of parallel cylinders, of cylindrical valve cham bers for the respective cylinders arranged in axial alinement, a cylindrical valve body having a chamber for each cylinder journaled on said cylinders, a main port for cach cylinder in said-valve body, inlet and exhaust passages for each cylinder, andauxiliary ports for each cylinder in said valve body for opening the interior of each valve to the cylinder when communication through the main port is cut off.

In a combustion engine, a thin walled hollow rotary valve having a port in the side for admitting and exhaustin gases, the thin and narrow longitudinal side edges of said port being exposed to the flame of the explosion on oth sides, the interior of the vulve being always incoinmunication with the interior of the cylinder, and the ends being closed. 

